Barriers and Broken Mirrors
by File 13
Summary: It's not often you get to meet you and your friends' doppelgangers. What happens when you fall in love with your roommate's alternate identity? A series of Eddsworld x Mirror Mirror one shots that I think was a silly idea. Rated T coz I'm paranoid. DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

"Edd? Are you okay?"

Edd lifted brown eyes to look at two bottomless black pits that stared at him from across the table. They looked a little heavy, which was unsurprising when one considered that the being attached to them spent so much time drunk.

"Is something bothering you?" prompted Tom, gesturing at him with his toast and sending a spray of blackened crumbs in his direction.

"Eh, not really. Just thinking." Edd brushed off his green sleeves and toyed once again with his eggs, his face resting on the heel of his hand.

"But you've been like this for _ages_ now," Tom said suddenly. " _Something's_ been eating you, so what is it?"

"Nothing is bothering me Tom," Edd smiled, shrugging and taking another bite of his food.

This was a complete lie. Something _was_ bothering Edd. A familiar, brown haired, green hoodied something. Something that had come out of a magical mirror. It wasn't him, but he was sure it was almost was. But now he could never know just what had happened.

The three of them - Edd, Tom, and Matt - had all confirmed that something had burst out of the mirror, chasing after a faintly glowing sword that had buried itself in their box of doughnuts, snatched up the sword and the fried treats, and, with only a word of thanks, pulled itself back into the mirror. The mirror that had slipped from Matt's numb fingers, and shattered on the thinly carpeted floor.

That was what was bothering him. Not much could for so long, but that strange experience sure did. He wanted to know who or what that had been.

Tom wasn't one to pry. His head hurt too much for him to think, anyway. He thought he had gone to as party, but he might have just stayed at home too. Either way, he had been outrageously drunk last night, and it was only now coming back to bite him in the butt.

"Good morning gorgeous," came another voice from the kitchen entry. Edd glanced up again to see Matt - ginger, narcissistic, and somewhat dimwitted - strolling to breakfast and gazing lovingly in a mirror. He tore his eyes away from from reflection long enough to notice his two roommates. "Oh, hey guys."

"Hey Matt."

"Hey."

The ginger rummaged in the fridge. "Is there any milk left?"

"No, we have to go to the store." Edd swallowed his mouthful of foood before continuing. "We'll go today. Nothing else is going on, right?"

"Not unless you were going to plan world domination," Tom quipped, yawning widely and rubbing his empty eyes. "Jeeze, I'm tired. Let's go now, before I collapse."

The keys hung on a peg by the front door. The car was parked in the drive. _Pete's Grossery Store_ was ten minutes of bad pop songs away. Then it was a matter of pushing an increasingly heavy hand cart around, loading it with milk and bread and vodka and toothpaste. Tom and Edd had to yank Matt away from the bath aisle, and Edd and Matt had to restrain Tom from reaching for a sixth bottle of alcohol. Through the checkout counters, out the automatic doors, pushing the cart towards their car to load it up with their spoils.

A bright flashing caught Edd's attention as he loaded the last of the groceries into the boot. He turned his head and gazed at the source of the light. A store he knew well, that had occupied his thoughts so much these past couple of weeks.

"Hey guys, come with me. I want to check something out really quick." Tom and Matt watched Edd as he walked towards _Miss Teek's Antiques and Magic Store_ , mildly puzzled, then followed him.

The bell over the door tinkled merrily as they entered. A few people were browsing the shelves, holding baskets over their arms filled with little glass animals and red velvet and tasseled fezzes. Matt gazed longingly all around him. If there was one thing that could capture his attention as much as his own reflection, it was small, useless trinkets.

"Edd, hold up." Tom reached for his friend's shoulder, momentarily stopping him. "Why are we here?"

"I… Kind of lied to you this morning, I guess," Edd answered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "When I said nothing was bothering me, that is."

"Well, I knew that much," Tom scoffed. "But what _is_ bothering you then?"

"The mirror..."

Tom looked suddenly solemn. "Oh."

"Pardon me, but I thought I heard something about a mirror?"

Tom and Edd both jumped with surprise as the voice piped up behind them. A woman, probably middle aged, with shiny dark hair plaited down her back and dressed in a crisp skirt and blouse had suddenly appeared behind them.

"Oh hello!" said Matt, who was finally distracted from a porcelain frog collection. "Yes, we were talking about mirrors. You wouldn't happen to have one would you?"

"Don't tell me you broke it," sighed the little woman. Edd, Tom, and Matt all nodded in embarrassment, and she sighed again. "I'll suppose you'll be wanting a new one then?"

"What?" Edd's jaw dropped in shock as the woman rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Of course I do. Wouldn't be a very good antique shop dealer if I weren't, let alone a decent witch. Come along." She gestured for them to follow her to the counter, and they did, dream-like. "There we are. One new magic mirror. Tread lightly with it. And for heaven's sake, don't drop it!"

Edd took the mirror with numb fingers.

And staring right back at him was a familiar, green hoodied, brown eyed, wavy haired, round faced person.

 **A/N so here's another dumb thing. I AM working on "Between the Devil and I", chapter 4 is about 1/2 done. "Dear Angel, Dear Demon" is being worked on, slowly. It's going, it's going.**

 **ANYWAYS, I AM TAKING PROMPTS AND REQUESTS FOR THIS THING. That's the main point of this A/N. SO COMMENT SOME SHTUFF PLZ :.D Pairings I am doing are EddxTamara, TomxMatilda, MattxTori, and TordxEll.**

 **Boi, boios!**


	2. The Exception

_**The Exception**_

"So one more time, it's Ell, Matilda, and Tamara, right?"

The girl with the short brown hair nodded with a wide smile, as did her red-headed friend. "Yep. And you're Edd, Matt, and Tom, right?"

"Uh-huh." Tom took a swig from his flask before making a face like he had drunk something bitter. "My gosh, this is way too weird. I swear I'm drunk of something and this is just a weird dream."

"Same," agreed Tamara, shoving her hands in her pockets and leaning heavily against the back of the sofa.

They were all sitting in Edd, Matt, and Tom's living room, which was strewn with half empty boxes and old sweets wrappers that had probably been there since the day they had first started moving in. Matt and Matilda were sitting close together, comparing selfies and taking new ones together. Tom had stretched himself out on the couch that Tamara was leaning up against. And Edd and Ell were both standing in the midst of it all, obviously feeding off the wonder of it all, with eyes wide and shining.

"So… What now?" Tom asked in the awkward silence that had followed. "Do they, like, go back to their own dimension thingy, or… What?"

"I think we should get to know eachother better!" Ell said excitedly, pulling a card game out of nowhere and smiling more brightly than before.

"Ell, where did you even get that?" Tamara asked with an annoyed air, raising a hand to her face in exasperation.

"I have no idea," she answered, her expression hardly faltering as she spoke through clenched teeth.

"Well, I think that's a fun idea!" Matilda said from where she sat by Matt, taking her phone out of his hands and jumping into the air. "What game is it, Ellie?"

" _Exploding Kittens_!" Ell said grandly, swiping everything off the coffee table with a huge clatter, and slamming the small cardboard box on it instead. "Tamara, Tom, come here. We're playing a game."

Grumbling and groaning, Tom rolled off the couch and onto the floor. Tamara came more nervously forward before planting herself in between Matilda and Ell. Edd sat between Matt, who was by Matilda, and Tom, who had dragged himself to to table, and took another deep drink of whatever concoction he had hidden in his metal flask.

The game was as intense as it was idiotic and random. Tacocat palindromes, unicorn burritos, lasers, fortune telling goats, the silly card game was something like Nyan Cat met whatever was under Tom's bed. But it was fun, they had to admit. They continued to play until Matt, Ell, Matilda, and Tom were out, leaving only Tamara and Edd locked in a game of Russian Roulette featuring cats eating time-bombs. There were two cards left.

Edd stared intensely at Tamara's empty eyes. How similar they were to Tom's in that they were heavy with tiredness or intoxication. The blue shadows underneath were barely hidden by the thin layer of makeup, and framed with black mascara. It was frightening how Edd could certainly see Tom wearing chain ear cuff earrings and not caring if a black strap was revealed by the blue jacket falling off a shoulder if her were a girl. Edd glanced once again at the strap before his eyes snapped back to her face, slightly horrified at what he had done.

"Wow Edd, you're turning red," Matt said unhelpfully. Edd glared at him.

"Fifty-fifty chance of dying, huh nerd?" Tamara said, grinning wickedly. "Nervous?"

"What? No, why would I-, I mean, why the heck should I-I," Edd spluttered, waving an airy hand at her. She laughed. He liked her laugh. It was like Tom's, and yet, it wasn't. It was different. Nicer.

He reached forward for the card, and promptly exploded.

Tom and Matt both started rolling on the floor with laughter as Edd slammed his head on the table with a groan. Ell and Matilda cheered and joined them laughing. Edd's shoulders shook with laughter at finally having lost the game, and looked at Tamara.

She was smiling.

And that made him happy.

It was an unexplainable happiness. A senseless pleasure. A light that filled him to the brim for no reason and with no logic whatsoever.

He wasn't the one who really believed in love at first sight.

But he supposed… Well, maybe, just _maybe_ , this could be the exception.

 **A/N sorry to you all who hate these ships already. This is happening. And there ain't nothing you can do about it, either OwO ALL of these chapters are probably gonna be silly and ridiculously short, so... Yeah. One-shots and fluff.**

 **This was also a request by MissMouskateer (sorry, I didn't moderate your review in time QAQ). Just a first reactions chapter. Honestly, this has become less of a one-shot series, more of a story, lawlz Maybe it'l be a bunch of one-shots with an underlying plot** ** _*WINK WONK*_** **IF YA CATCH MAH DRIFT COUGH COUGH**

 **ANYWAYS, please, send me some requests, I'll credit you in the annotation of course. Coz I AM TAKING REQUESTS AND PROMPTS! the ships I am taking are: Edd x Tamara (as shown above), Tom x Matilda, Matt x Tori, and Tord x Ell. Go nuts, and thanks!**


	3. Helpless

**Helpless**

Passing through the mirror was like going through a layer of slime or mucus; slippery, warm, and utterly disgusting. And on the other side was home. A new home yes, with boxes stacked neatly against the walls and the tables scrubbed clean, but home nonetheless.

Ell, Tamara, and Matilda all changed into their pyjamas as soon as possible before returning to the kitchen for one last cup of tea.

Ell and Tamara both say at the table, sipping quietly and enjoying the serenity of the cold winter night. Matilda, however, was dancing in the sitting room, phone clasped in her hands and held close to her chest as she turned this way she that. Her long ginger hair swung in a shiny curtain behind her, and she was barefoot as she danced this way and that. Under her breath, she hummed the refrain of some American musical; the words " _I do I do I do I do_ " were the only ones Tamara could hear well enough from the adjoining kitchen.

"Well, _someone_ had a good time," she said jokingly, stirring her mug of tea absently and fiddling with the kitten cozy in the dim yellow light of the single bulb over the granite tabletop.

"What's up Mattie?" Ell asked, taking a sip of her own tea.

"I'm in love," Matilda sighed, coming to a halt at last and gazing longingly at her phone screen, a vacant smile on her face. Tamara snorted into her drink.

"With _what_ , that selfie you took before we went over there?" she asked snidely. "Or maybe it was with that Matt guy, since he's basically you in _dude_ form?"

"Neither," Matilda answered dreamily. " _He's_ even _better_..."

Tamara choked on her mouthful of hot drink. Ell shook her shoulder until she stopped at last, but when she looked back up to question her friend further, Matilda was gone. They saw only the tips of her long ginger hair disappearing into her room, and the door closing behind her. The two girls looked at each other in a silent question before sliding back their chairs and following.

Matilda's room was about as girly as a hoarder's room could be. It was noticeably less cluttered than her old room had been, since most of her junk had been burnt to ash, but that hadn't stopped her from continuing to collect useless rubbish and knick knacks. She had recently begun a collection of porcelain frogs after their first trip to _Mr. E's Magic and Antiques_.

Matilda lay on her stomach, gazing dreamily at her phone screen, a vague smile on her lips and blue eyes half closed. Tamara marched right through the beads that hung over the doorway and up to Matilda, reaching right over her piles of stuffed animals and pink bed clothes, and grabbing at her phone. The ginger snatched it away, looking annoyed.

"Tamara!" Ell punched her friend on the arm before crawling beside Matilda.

"Don't leave us hanging, Mattie," Ell said to Matilda. "If it's not Matt, then who is it? The guy from Starbucks?"

Matilda shook her head.

"Not Cason?"

Another shake.

"I _really_ hope it's not that Winston Noble chap from that show you keep watching," Tamara interrupted, settling herself down on Matilda's other side.

"Nope!" Matilda grinned.

"Well then who _is_ it you, silly goose?" Ell asked, shaking her friend's shoulder playfully. Matilda held the phone to her chest for a moment longer, the internal struggle obvious, gazed once more at the screen, then at last caved in and turned the screen to face them.

Tamara pretended to be sick over the bed. Ell looked shocked. "Wow Mattie... I didn't know you were... I mean..."

"What?" Matilda asked defensively, her freckled face growing red and snatching the phone back and having longingly at the photo.

"You just met him just today!" Tamara said, waving a hand in the air, her empty eyes wide. "And that's not even considering the fact that they are basically _us_!"

"I know," Matilda sighed happily. "Isn't he perfect?"

"Well you sure don't seem to fancy _me_ much."

"That's because you like being a prick."

"But really?" Ell asked, looking at the picture once again. "Him?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Tom."

"Yep."

"Jeeze you're weird." Tamara leaned back, gazing at Matilda with astonishment. The redhead scowled at her friend.

"Well, I have to say that that Edd boy sure seemed fond of you, Tamara," she said bitingly.

" _Tch_ , yeah _right_ ," Tamara scoffed, looking away. "If he's everything like Ell, he wouldn't even know the first thing about women."

"Ow," Ell interjected in a mildly offended tone.

"Poor baby doesn't know that he's a big boy, does he?" Matilda said with a girlish giggle. "Doesn't know it's normal to want to look at a good looking girl when she's very _obviously_ flirting with him."

"I was not flirting with anyone, number one," said Tamara defensively. "And number two, we've been over that nobody would want me."

"Don't say that, Tammie," pouted Ell. "That's not a good thing to think."

They sat in awkward silence. Matilda continue to gaze at the photo of Tom. Tamara picked at a spot on the comforter.

"Guys," Ell said at last, squinting at the wall. "If that world is like ours, but opposite..."

"Yeah?"

 _"Who do you think Tori is...?"_

 _ **A/N ooh, the originally non-**_ _ **existent**_ __ _ **plot thickens! It's gonna be dumb and fast paced, coz why not? :P Also, I have, like, no friends, so I've got NO IDEA how real girls interact with each other :'D halp**_

 _ **Whatever. I'm taking REQUESTS and PROMPTS, so plz, yeah XD**_

 _ **Also, I've been writing this a lot lately, yeah? Don't ask, idk why, I just thought it was cute. I AM working on chapter 4 of "Between the Devil and I", it's about 1/2 done, I just need some space fillers. Also, "Dear Angel, Dear Demon" is still being worked on. It's a slow burn kind of story, so... Yeah. I'll shut up now.**_

 _ **Boi!**_


	4. The Devil's Repentance

**_The Devil's Repentance_**

"Tom, have you seen my socks anywhere?" Edd asked, peeking out from his room to look into the kitchen, where Tom stood pouring a cup of tea.

"Why would I have your socks, Edd?" he answered dryly, setting the kettle down with a clunk.

"I dunno."

"If _anyone_ in this house besides you were going to have your socks, it'd be Matt, and even if he _does_ have them, then there's no chance of finding them. They're gone forever."

"Aren't you just a little ray of sunshine this morning? What happened, lose the EuroMillions again?"

"That's none of your business." Edd snickered as Tom turned back to his now overflowing cup of scalding tea with an expression of utmost dignity. He pulled his head back through the door and continued to look for his socks.

Tom sat at the countertop island on a stool, taking tiny sips of his tea and nursing a headache and bruised dignity. Matt stumbled in, slapping his hand limply against the granite tabletop and grasping blindly for his lucky mug. Tom slid the cup, which already held steaming hot coffee, to the tips of Matt's fingers. Since they had all almost died, and their home had been destroyed, Tom had started acting a little kinder, a little more protective, though to the outside viewer, it wasn't obvious. He still insulted everyone he came across, he still was brash and ignored better judgment, but he showed his care in little ways. Making drinks in the morning, folding the socks while they're away, cleaning the sink. Things like that.

And while Matt didn't notice those things, Edd did. He watched, leaning up against the entryway, as a shadow of a smile flitted across the tired face as Matt took a huge gulp of coffee and set it back down with a sigh before finally walking into the kitchen.

"Morning guys," he said cheerfully, reaching into the fridge for a Coke despite the earliness of the hour. "Sleep well?"

Tom grunted into his cup as Matt yawned.

"Any idea what's going on today?"

"I want to…" Matt stopped, looking back into his cup of coffee as he sat down.

"What? You want to what?" Edd asked, joining them.

"I kind of want to… You know…"

"No, I don't know Matt, pray tell," Edd prompted, grinning widely and loving the opportunity to make Matt uncomfortable. The ginger was so confident, it was a rare thing for him to be too nervous to talk.

"I want to see… You know, those _girls_ again," he said at last, quickly taking a huge swallow and ending up choking and coughing quietly into his cup.

Tom let out a loud bark of laughter. "Wow!" he laughed, rubbing his empty eyes with the heels of his hands. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! Matt wants to look at someone other than himself?"

"Shut up," Matt glared red-faced at his friend. "I know full well you want to as well."

Tom sobered up after a moment with a small sigh. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Me too," Edd agreed. They sat in silence for a couple moments, each lost in his own thoughts. Ringo came mewling up to Edd, who picked up the little cat and stroked his head.

There was a knock on the door.

"Who on earth could that be this early in the morning?" Matt wondered aloud. Edd shook his head, setting Ringo down as he made his way to the entry.

"There's nobody there!" he called back to the kitchen, and, indeed, there was nobody there. Not a child, not an adult, not the mailman, not an animal, not a soul.

But there was something on the ground.

A small piece of paper, maybe three by five inches in size, with one word written on it.

The little paper felt cold to the touch, or maybe it was the freezing temperature, or maybe it was just Edd's blood running cold at the sight of the single phrase. How had he found out where they were? And why would he leave this? He knew what it meant, he had spent enough to know enough of the language.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked, coming up behind Edd and looking over his shoulder. "What is that?"

Then he noticed the word.

" _Unnskyld_."

" _I'm sorry."_

Tord.

* * *

 _ **A/N Short chapter. Would have been too long otherwise. I've pretty much covered everything that would explain how everyone met, how Tord and Tori returned, all that. Now it really will be one-shots, so please send in some sort of requests or prompts or asks or anything. You can leave a quest review, you don't actually have to have a FFN account to leave a comment. Plz. Also, go check out my Beauty and the Beast x Eddsworld guest one-shot entry thing that I'm doing. Rules or posted on "His World: The One and Only". also plz**_

 _ **Boi**_

 _ **-File 13**_


	5. Through the Cat Flap

**Through the Cat Flap**

Oh, the life of a cat. So sweet. So relaxed. _What was it like_ , Edd wondered as he watched his little grey feline slink around the corner, treading lightly on his little kitty paws. Ringo didn't know this was running through his mind, however.

He leapt up into the air, landing on one of the cardboard boxes by the wall, and what a tense air it was. Electric. He could feel it in the long whiskers on his face, nearly taste it on the roof of his mouth. He flicked his long tail and continued to climb until he reached the topmost box, staring down at the scene below him with a bright emerald eye.

There were eight people this time. Two in blue. Two in purple. Two in green. And two in red. The two in red sat tensely away from the two in blue; one in purple sat near one in blue, and the two in green sat closer to the two in red than the rest.

A different, smaller silver-grey tabby cat landed next to Ringo, making him shift to the side of the box as she sniffed him. The collar around her neck was adorned with a little silver bell, red ribbon, and license that read "Regina".

She mewled a little, and he meowed in return, making Edd and Ell glance up at their pets before returning their attention to their situation.

Tord was sitting on the couch opposite them, hands clasped together, elbows on his knees, and leaning forward, avoiding looking at anyone. Tori had her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs as she stared avidly at the lamp on the floor. Matt stared also at the floor. Matilda gazed into space, blue eyes flicking occasionally to Tom, who sat beside her. He and Tamara sat tensely a foot apart, blank eyes boring identical holes in places just to the sides of the heads of the two clad in red.

"So… Why'd you leave?" Edd asked softly, avoiding Tord's eyes. "How come you didn't get arrested?"

"We made a trade," Tord answered, equally quietly. "I didn't like what I was doing. Made some mistakes."

" _That's_ an understatement." Tom spat. Tord winced a little before continuing.

"Red General wanted us to do something we didn't agree with. I only started realizing… I thought I knew what I wanted. I thought… I was ready. I wouldn't have any regrets. And then… I tried to kill you all and…"

"Red General was a liar," Tori continued for him. "Red General would say that all I wanted was possible if I just completed the mission. He lied, he lied to me. He lied to _him_." She gestured at Tord, who nodded his own head in agreement.

"Killing… Is a lot easier to the innocent than to the guilty," he finished. Ringo mewled again.

"So how come you're here?" Matilda asked.

"Lying low," Tori answered. "We gave the government a lot of information. Plenty of people want us dead because of who we are, _and_ because we defected from the Red Army as higher-ups." She paused looking at Tord. "That is so weird saying "we". I thought I was the only person who ever did this sort of thing."

"Same," Tord smiled weakly before licking his lips and looking back down.

Regina's collar gave a merry chime that did not belong with this heavy conversation as she jumped down onto the couch below. She rubbed up against Tori's shoulders, gave Tord an appraising look, and then rubbed herself against his arm, completely at her ease with the two look-alikes. Edd watched as his own cat settled himself on the top box, continuing his relaxed surveyance of the room.

Silence.

For almost five minutes that felt like an eternity… An eternity and a half.

They stared at their shoes, at each other's shoes, at the lamp in the corner, at something that wasn't there on the ceiling, at the blank wall, at their hands, nobody making any form of eye contact. Ringo watched Matilda as she shot covert glances at Tom, each time turning a faint pink before looking back at her knees or the wall opposite him, where sat Tord and Tori, rocking back and forth with nervousness.

It was a silence thicker and harder than the Christmas pudding Edd's grandmother made last year, which had to be cut with a chainsaw before it could be served.

"Well…" Edd said at last, a little nervously, a little hoarsely. "I guess we can't sit here doing nothing for the rest of the day." He stood, looking Tord in the face, his expression unreadable. That was something about Edd, and shared by Ell as she stood as well; no matter how much of a jokester he was, no matter how enthusiastic, no matter how kindly, no matter naive he could be, Edd was by no means an idiot. And he could hide, if he wanted.

"Tord… I'm… I don't know. You… You hurt us a lot when you left. There's no repayment you can give us for that pain that you caused. You killed Jon. You almost killed Tom and Matt and I… I thought we were friends. _I don't trust you anymore._ "

Tord nodded, but looked at Edd full in the face for the first time as he continued speaking.

"But… Trust can be earned. Are you willing to work for it?"

"Yes…"

Ringo stretched and yawned widely as down below, a group of humans sobbed into one another's shoulders, holding each other tightly as though reunited after an age apart, and a silver-grey she-cat left the house through the cat flap, out into a new world.

* * *

 **A/N Lol. Welp. Yep. It happened. I hope I've cleared up any big questions about how everyone met each other, and how Tord and Tori came back! Now everything should be pretty non-linear, sometimes not even have anything to do with the originally non-existent story, which is sort of an underlying plot now. Hope you enjoy my trash :P**

 **This was a request from the lovely 100meredith! Thanks. Go comment , people. Send me some requests and prompts! :D Boi!**


	6. Thought More Than Candles

**Thought More Than Candles**

It was past 7:30. The sun was finally setting. Cars were finally slowing down on the roads. Porch lights were coming on one by one. Children were parking themselves in front of television screens.

And Edd was in a panic. How could he have forgotten? The most important part of a candle-lit dinner… _Was_ _candles_! But in his haste to study every famous candle-lit dinner scene in cinematic history, from _Valentine's Day_ to _Lady and the Tramp_ , daydreaming and doodling about how the supper would go, and spending hours online to find the perfect recipe for roasted spiced lamb and the best red wine he could afford, the lighting had completely slipped his mind.

Now, he pulled into the front drive, looking at his house in despair, the walls lit with the yellow light of the headlamps. He had been out for the past half-hour, searching fruitlessly for candles, and none of the stores he had the time to visit had tall candles. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he muttered under his breath, banging his head softly on the steering wheel, then leaning on it with a sigh. _What a failure,_ he thought dejectedly. _What a pathetic excuse of a boyfriend. Can't even make a dinner without messing up, can you?_

He had been looking forward to this for almost two weeks. Two weeks of hard work and nervous breakdowns and excited late-night conversations. Tom and Matt were so much better at this sort of thing, at… At _wooing_ women.

But she had seemed so excited that night. All eight of them had decided to have a movie night together. It was some cheesy chick flick, Edd didn't remember what. But there has been one scene where the main characters had gone to a fancy restaurant and had shared a candle lit meal.

And Tamara, who so rarely gushed over anything, did just that. The four girls had left giggling and tittering over that single scene in the movie, absolutely taken. And Edd had noticed.

Perhaps he should have settled for something less extravagant; after all, it was just a one month anniversary. Not a big deal, right? Well, maybe to any normal girl it was, but Tamara wasn't a normal girl. She didn't care about those sorts of things. Right? _Right_?

He groaned again. She was so… Mysterious. He knew she was like Tom, that they had similar ways and looks and interests, but she was also so different from him, Edd had no clue what to expect from her. Just… Gahh… It was so difficult.

So, a sinking feeling in his stomach, he turned the key, locked the car, and entered into the house.

There was the enticing, aromatic smell of cooking lamb. He had left it roasting in the oven, just as the instructions told him. Tom, Matt, and Tord weren't there to keep an eye on it, so Edd had needed to leave at precisely the right time, and return in time to take it out. He scrambled around, setting the plates, taking the roast out of the oven, finding his nice shirt. And still, he searched everywhere for candles. He searched the cupboards, the boxes, Matt's room, even under Tom's _bed_.

But for all his work, all he had to show for it were now-dusty trousers, some old birthday candles, and a few very obviously electric tea lights. However, desperate times cashed for desperate measures, and he was certainly that.

The clock chimed eight. And before it even finished, Edd was positioned in front of the magic mirror, waiting.

She took his breath away when she stepped out, however cheesy and cliche it sounded, standing before him in a black and white dress; not fancy or overstated by any means, but beautiful in its simplicity. Her empty eyes reflected bemused amusement as Ell and Matilda led her out of the mirror towards him, and said goodbye.

"Hey, Edd," she said slowly, obviously puzzled. Edd smiled weakly.

"Hey… Tamara."

Her brows suddenly knit together. "Edd, are you alright?"

"Huh?"

"You look ill."

"Oh, no, I'm fine," he said, waving his hands in front of her, eyes wide. Jeeze, _why_ did he have to panic _now_?

Tamara raised an eyebrow, then took a deep breath. "What is that?"

"Dinner," he stated, an underlying nervousness not hidden by his matter-of-fact tone.

"Dinner. Like… A dinner date?"

"Yeessssss…?" Tamara snorted with laughter at his hesitant answer, and rubbed her arm. They stood in an awkward silence for a moment, neither of them making eye contact. "So… I, er, I suppose you'll be wanting to…" His voice trailed off as he gestured vaguely behind him.

"Yes, let's." The two made their way into the kitchen when Edd saw her slow down in the entrance before the dining room. Heart sinking slightly, he watched as she took in the scene; the nice plates, the tall glasses, the shiny silverware, the near-perfect lamb roast and bottle of wine, and… The dozens of tiny birthday candles and tea lights.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out. Tamara turned to him, surprised.

"Sorry for what?"

"I just… I wanted this to be perfect and then I go and screw it up and forget the… The candles, and I just… I just…" He sighed and looked away, shame reddening his face.

And then she laughed. He turned and stared, mouth open. She laughed and laughed, eyes brimming with mirth as she leaned forward. She was far too close just to be... To be…

Oh…

"It's perfect," she said against his lips, kissing him once and hugging him fiercely. It was a simple, perfect, pure bliss that made his stomach drop like he were on a roller coaster, and left him frozen in surprise as she broke away and reached for his hands. He grinned too after a moment, chuckling in relief and confusion before gripping her hands tightly.

She truly was the right girl for him. It didn't matter if he couldn't be like a movie. With her, it's the thought that counts. He was just enough on his own. And she loved him for it.

* * *

 **A/N Hurhur. That was kinda cute. Also a write your OTP prompt that I REALLY drew out. Eh, oh well. It'd be easier to draw than write :T**

 **This was a request from whitefluffywolf. Thanks broham :P lolz**

 ** _Shoot me a prompt or request_**


	7. How to Hold Your Alcohol

**How to Hold Your Alcohol**

"So, who's gonna drive us home?" Edd asked, glancing at the building he was bound for and returning to the road.

"Not me," came Tom and Tamara's voices, not surprisingly.

"I'll do it," Ell answered, gripping Edd's shoulder from her seat behind him. "I'm not really in the mood to drink." He nodded curtly to tell her he heard, looked up and down the dark street, and pulled into the car park.

"I am so looking forward to a White Russian," Tamara said. "This place has the best."

"Straight up whiskey for me," Tori sighed. "It's been a week."

"Well, it's over now, isn't it?" Matt said, kissing her cheek so that she snorted a little with laughter.

Tom gagged next to them. "Please, keep the PDA to a minimum until I'm drunk."

"Oh shut up."

Their argument was stopped in its making as Edd turned off the engine. The seven of them that were there (Matilda didn't want to go, opting instead to watch a few movies back at home) piled out of the car and made their into _O'Brien's Irish Pub and Restaurant._

Edd, Matt, Tord, and Tori wandered around for a little, though Tom and Tamara wasted no time making their way immediately to the little bar. The rooms were warm and hazy. The distinct scents of coddle and fish and chips fragranced every inch of the place, and people sat socializing at tables and the bar. A small Irish band played on the little stage, a dozen or so patrons singing alongside the mic.

Eventually, all seven regrouped at the bar. Tom was downing his third shot, and Tamara was just getting a plate of chips and onion rings. Two shot glasses were sitting by her elbow as she looked at Edd and motioned for him to sit beside her. Ell sat with Tord and Tom, pacifying herself with a plain Coke as Tom grinned lazily at her and Tord glared daggers at him. And, true to her word, the first thing Tori did was get a shot of whiskey.

As the minutes passed to an hour, and the hour a couple, things settled into their groove. Tom and Tord had their arms draped around each other's shoulders, Tom laughing at Tord's slurred Norwegian. Ell had left to go sit by the band after the both of them had kissed either side of her face at the same time, making her go beet red and fear for her sanity. Edd and Tamara were resting tipsily up against each other, Tamara's head resting in the crook of Edd's neck, the both of them looking at their entwined fingers and giggling, still downing drink after drink.

Matt and Tori were a different story. Matt sat nervously next to the tiny Norwegian, occasionally taking a sip of his margherita as she herself downed three shots of tequila, gin, and whiskey, and a Bloody Mary. She spoke at random points, talking about her boring day-job, mentioning somebody named Paulina and screaming at a nonexistent Patty to bring her the right paperwork, then sobbing into Matt's shoulder as she recounted a car accident she had seen that week before slamming her empty shot glass against the counter and ordering a Guinness, which was now halfway empty.

"Tori," Matt said quietly, taking her hand as she set the bottle down for the second time. "You have beautiful eyes."

"You're drunk," Tori slurred. "An' _du ser vakker ut_..."

"Officer! I promise!… Thad I'm not a sink as you drunk I am," came Tom's voice a couple seats away.

"You're one to talk," Matt tittered as Tori leaned up against him, throwing her arms over his shoulders. She hummed in agreement and kissed him.

"'Ey, Ginger!" Matt didn't hear the extremely drunk man against the wall, he was too focused on holding the little Norwegian kissing him. "Oi! You! _Pedophile_!"

Matt felt as Tori tensed suddenly under his hands, breaking the kiss as she turned slowly to look at the inebriated man, sizing him up. She stared for a moment at his scruffy beard his tweed cap and lit cigarette before saying in a freezing voice, "What did you just say?"

"You 'erd me, kid," said the man before jabbing his friend in the ribs and adding, "Though I bet a little girl like you wou'n't know wha' a pedophile is!"

They were laughing for only a few moments before Tori launched herself at him, punching every inch of him that she could reach as he raised his arms in defence. A few other patrons cheered at the show, raising their glasses as she screamed insults at him in both English and Norwegian.

Ten minutes later, Ell had managed to round up everyone and was pulling out of the car park. There was a sleepy, drunken silence that did not quite hide the tense one under it. Tom was passed out in the passenger seat. Tamara's head lolled on Edd's shoulder as he gazed vaguely out the window. And Matt and Tori sat still together, their hands woven together.

"Why?" He asked after a moment. Tori looked at him slowly, tears once again filling her silvery-grey eyes.

"The man I love doesn't get called a pedophile. Not ever, never on my watch."

They were asleep in the back of the car soon after, warm hands still entwined.

* * *

 **A/N So… Yeah. I've actually never been inside of a bar (and I never plan to either :P), and I've never been inside a legit Irish pub. I've been in pubs, but never at night, just during, like, lunch hour. So, I got no idea how accurate this would be :P And by accurate, I just mean believable XD**

 **Lots of references to the song "The Dodgy Pint" by Gaelic Storm happened while writing this XD I love them, they're great. Go listen to them, they're addictive.**

 **So… Yeah! Bye, I guess. Talk sometime later.**

 _ **Send me a request or prompt, plz!**_


	8. I Forgot Censure

**I Forgot "Censure"**

Tom clenched his teeth and reluctantly opened his eyes, awoken by the absolute **bedlam** coming from the kitchen. The past few days, the house had been swarming with people, and **abounding** with activity and especially noise. In all honesty, it was **admirable** to anybody who knew him that he hadn forced his three roommates into signing an **affidavit** that would **curtail** any and all noise before 8 AM, a **prelude** to the anarchy to come if they allowed him. It wasn't that he was **timorous** to do so, or that he always granted his friends **amnesty** , but simply that often he was too drunk in the afternoons to remember to draw up the terms.

The rubbed empty, tired eyes and glanced blearily around his room. There was nothing especially **ornate** about it; it's not interesting feature was the guitar-shaped, high-tech safe in the corner, which held his prized bass guitar, Susan. The actual safe had taken a huge chunk out of their overall budget when buying a house, but it was Tom's **inalienable** right to protect one of the few things he held dear, next to the stash of emergency vodka he kept hidden in the closet.

Honestly, Tom had such a **bias** to alcohol, it was surprising that his constant intoxication had not caused a **rift** between him and his friends. But Edd, Matt, and even Tord were willing to deal with his staggering around the house, and his **colloquial** language whenever he returned home past 10 PM. It was **constituent** to his personality, and had **consolidated** them in the past, making them stronger by taking care of him when he had given himself alcohol poisoning. Hospital visits were something that none of them liked, none of them forgot, and all of them knew was a stepping stone somewhere in the general direction that was what many called "right".

It took him and inordinate amount of time to practically **emancipate** his limbs from the twisted bed clothes that had encircled him in the night, and then make his was in the kitchen, wearing nothing but his hoodie and pajama pants. He was shocked to see the scene before them.

The reason behind the noise for the past few days was simply explained to those with an open mind. A magic mirror that was certainly part of the problem wasn't needed to explain it to those **destitute** in mind who didn't. Simply put, each of the young men's' girlfriends were having their house fixed after a water leak flooded it, and decided to crash for a few nights in their living room.

But right now, it was pandamonium as they attempted to make what Tom suspected was breakfast. Matilda was climbing the counters trying to reach the cupboards. Tori was **exultantly** holding a tea bag over Matt's head despite her **diminutive** size. Tamara and Edd were standing together by the stove top, frying bacon and eggs, and Ell was trying to set the table with Tord poking her and constantly talking in her ear.

All seven looked at Tom as he froze in the entryway, falling silent until he said, in a croaky, annoyed tone, "I'm… Not even going to ask."

* * *

 **A/N Lol, are you questioning? I know you are, I can feel it XD Welp, to 'splain, I had an English assignment. We had to write a story in 15 minutes using all of the bolded words, and if you can't read the title, I forgot to use the word "censure". So... Schoolwork! Can you guys see how desperate for prompts and requests I am? SEND ME SOMETHING! AHHH!**

 **Okey bye**


	9. Waterslides and Real Life

**Waterslides and Real Life**

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing. Flowers were blooming. The sun was shining. The weatherman had predicted the day was going to reach a full 29 degrees. And thanks to a brilliant idea from Matilda, eight highly excited young adults were sitting, crushed against one another, inside of Edd's mother's red van, and pulling into the car park of Water World at nearly 10 in the morning.

"This was a brilliant idea," Ell said happily as they made their way through the queue, rummaging in her printed canvas bag in search for her sunglasses.

"And expensive," Edd muttered under his breath, also searching in his rucksack, though in his case it was for money rather than shades. "But you know, whatever."

The queue was long. Exceptionally long, in fact. There were almost a dozen people in front of their group, and several more behind. The procession shuffled forward once again, just as Edd found a wad of bills. He, Tom, Matt, and Tord had all offered to pay for the group a week ago, and the girls were quick to accept, using their own money to, unsurprisingly, go shopping for clothes.

Still, it wasn't as though any of the boys were going to complain. Not too much, anyway. After all, there were now four _very_ pretty girls in only their swimming clothes and coverups, and even better yet for the boys, they were all theirs for an entire day of sun, swimming, and very minimally covered skin. In all honesty, that was a pretty decent trade for a few quid.

The group eventually made their way into the park, buffeted by a few others, clinging to their towels and bags and each other, and were greeted by the wondrous sight of a huge wave pool surrounded by sand. It almost made them forget they were in the middle of England.

"Off," Tori ordered, tugging on Matt's t-shirt the moment the group found a place on the fake beach with enough of the white plastic lounge chairs to accommodate them. Obediently, Matt did so, throwing the dark shirt on top of the pile of canvas and clothing that was their bags. Humming, Tori embraced the tall ginger, making him shudder and grin with pleasure a little as she ran her fingers up and down his spine. Tamara gagged at this show of suggestive affection, pointing into her mouth for emphasis, then at a goading grin from Tori, stuck out her tongue and turned and kissed a suddenly _very_ flustered Edd.

"What should we do first?" Tord asked, taking a hold of Ell's hand. When she turned to look at him, he lifted it to scarred lips and kissed it very gently, hardly concealing a laugh as he watched her face turn bright red. Instead of pulling away as he had expected however, she flung her arms over his shoulders and put her face right up to his, making his grey eyes go wide.

"Water slides," she said simply, sliding her hands down his arms and pulling him off in the direction of the rides. Laughing, the rest followed, enjoying the warm sun on their bare skin. Edd and Tom were still wearing shirts over their swimming trunks, and Ell and Tamara were the same way with their cover-ups. Tom grinned slyly at Matilda and put a hand around her waist, pulling her, chuckling, closer to him.

The slide was gigantic - full of twists and turns, part of it going near vertical. The entrance was high above them, and people screamed as the floor dropped out from under them, sending them into the wild, twisting depths.

Matilda, who had only a moment before been excited, and giggling at Tom's advances, shivered as the group passed under the huge morning shadow cast across the concrete by the slide. Tom looked at her with growing concern as she gripped his arm the closer they got to the front of the long queue. "You alright?" he asked, knowing the answer. She nodded jerkily, jaw clenched and manicured fingernails digging into his pale skin. He winced, but did nothing more than free his limb and enfold the ginger in an embrace, pressing his face to her hair.

"Mattie, are you scared?" Tamara asked, watching her friend with wide, empty eyes.

"No?" she squeaked, the uncertain tone completely undermining the answer.

"Want to go with me?" Tom asked her, speaking into her ear. She was silent for a few moments before squeezing the taller man and nodding against his chest.

"In that case, come with me too," Tamara said brightly, turning to Edd. He smiled vaguely and nodded. Her face, he was thinking dreamily, was so clear when she wasn't drunk, it was absolutely staggering. She looked so different. Like a new soul…

While Edd was lost in his daydreams, Tamara pulled him forward do that they were standing on the drop floor. Matilda watched with trepidation as Edd yelped the moment the hatch opened, dropping them into the slide with screams of excitement. Tom, noticing, held her tighter, and began shuffling forward awkwardly. Tori and Matt went next, clinging onto one another like crabs to a child's finger.

The teenage park attendant looked at Tom and Matilda curiously as they made their way to the slide entrance, his hand on the lever. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Tom asked Matilda one last time. And again, she nodded against his chest after a moment of frozen hesitancy, her eyes clenched shut. Tom looked at the attendant and nodded before saying once again, softly into her ear, "It'll be okay."

"I know it will, Tommy. I'm with you."

And the world dropped out from under their feet, sending them plummeting into a dark world of twists and turns, unexpected drops, exhilarating speed, splashing water, shrill screaming that gave way to laughter, and a lot of real, true, unconditional love.

And as Tom sat several hours - and dozens of water slides - later, watching as Tord slathered Aloe Vera across Ell's sunburned back, as Edd read a book aloud to a half asleep Tamara, as Tori lay on top of Matt, who was wearing her sun hat, he thought. And as Matilda sighed against his chest, her eyes closed and a smile unhidden on her slightly sunburned and freckled face, Tom understood.

 _Honestly, a water slide really kind of was a teeny tiny, little bit like real life._

* * *

 **A/N If you didn't get my Undertale reference... Get out. Just, get out XD JK I love y'all. This was a fun write. It was pretty short first draft though, only about 700 words. Sooooo... Details! Enjoy.** ** _Send me a request or prompt, plz my dudes!_**

 ** _Also, please note that this entire story is written for entertainment. When Edd passed away, the characters of Eddsworld became just those; characters. They were no longer extensions of their real life counterparts. I in no way ship any of these characters together in real life. Those are real people, and I don't think that the, er, dregs of the EW fandom realize that. Matt Hargreaves has said that none of the characters are in canon relationships. None of them are gay, none of them are shipped together for real within the canon universe. I write this story and other stories purely for entertainment. In real life, I totally ship Matt with his real wife, Katy (they're adorable, holy crap). I totally ship Tom with just current girlfriend, Charlie. These are real people and get to make their own decisions. This ship-fic is exactly that, fanfiction. It's not real. And it never will be. And that's a good thing.  
I will shut up now. I'm so sorry. XD_**

 **This was a request from a guest. They asked for a beach scene "or something like that" XD So I did "something like that". Enjoy my bro XD**


	10. Tonight, the Rain Lost

**Tonight, the Rain Lost**

It was nights like these that made her feel like this.

Miserable nights, where the rain of the day persisted into the night. Rain that caught the unwary by surprise and soaked them to the bone, leaving them wet hours after the sun went down. Rain that was cold, and cruel, and relentless despite the silent pleas of all who were stuck waiting for the bus or biking to work.

It was one of those nights.

She stood in front of the mirror lit with fluorescent, artificial yellow light, and the white of a pale face; a face twisted in a way that betrayed the feelings of the mind behind it. Critical eyes roved over the curvy body, the hunched shoulders, through the brown hair. And as she looked, the reflection stared back, and as they stared, a few lonely tears slid down the reddened cheeks, dripping silently into the porcelain sink.

A knock came at the door, and she dried her eyes with her wrists, glanced again at the reflection in the mirror, and answered in a broken, croaky voice, "Yeah?"

"Are you going to come out?" asked another voice outside the door.

"Yeah, j-just give me a second."

"... _Ell_?"

Cursing herself at her weak voice, Ell glanced once again, hatefully at the mirror. "I'm fine, just give me a second."

She shut her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and opened the bathroom door, to be greeted by the sight of the man she loved.

He wasn't especially tall, he wasn't especially strong. The entire right side of his face and his right arm were covered in a fine scar tissue, and blonde hair curled upward toward the ceiling like devil horns. But whenever he smiled, Ell absolutely fell apart, and she was forever enchanted by his silvery eyes.

But the expression wasn't one of happiness. Instead, concern etched every line as Tord stared. A little crease grew between his brow. "Ell, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." _Liar_.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying."

"Ellie?" Tord stood from where he sat on the edge of the bed and made his way over to her, lifting her face by her chin so he could look into her eyes - _her lying eyes_ \- grey into suddenly watering brown.

"Ell...?" he asked again.

Ell turned away, furious at herself and wiping away tears that wouldn't hold themselves back. "I'm _fine_ ," she muttered, emphasizing her lie.

"No, you're not... What's wrong?"

Ell's back was to him, her shoulders slumped, folding in on herself. She muttered something incoherent.

"What?"

"I just... I don't like myself..."

His heart broke a little. Who could ever guess that such a defeated voice could come from such a happy person? Silently, Tord walked again to Ell, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and resting his forehead against the back of her hair, just breathing in the scent of her soap and lotion. "Why," he asked softly, "Would you ever say that?"

"I just..." Ell took a deep, shuddering, ashamed breath. "I hate looking in the mirror... I hate seeing myself... I feel... _Ugly_..."

Tord screwed his eyes shut. He'd known for a while now that Ell was very self conscious of the way she looked. He noticed it the most before nights out together, when she would stare appraisingly in the mirror after applying layers of makeup, when little lines made an appearance between her eyebrows. Sometimes, she would even wash off everything and start from scratch. It was hard to watch sometimes.

"Well..." He took a deep breath, untangling himself and running his hands down her arms and shoulders, sliding them down her ribcage so they came to rest on her hips. "I love to look at you. In fact, you're my favorite thing to look at. I love every bit of you."

"Don't lie to me, please Tord, please... I'm upset enough as it is..."

"Lie? Never! Why would I lie? Look." He turned them both of them so they could see themselves in the mirror on the wall. "Know what I see?"

"An ugly, fat nobody that doesn't deserve anyone's love," Ell said. Tord watched as her face reddened with tears.

"No. You're not looking. You don't see what I see. Because I see the most perfect woman I know. I see a gorgeous face, and a beautiful body, and a wonderful, kind person who deserves all the love in the world, including the love from herself."

"No... She doesn't... There's _nothing_ she deserves... _Nobody_ should love any part of her..."

"Really? Because _I_ love this part of you." He kissed the top of her head, making her turn and stare at him, eyes wide. "And I love _this_ part of you-" He kissed her forehead. "And I love _this_ part of you, and I love _this_ part, and _this_ part-"

Over and over, he said that phrase, and it was followed by a peppering of kisses, from her nose, to her shoulder, to her cheek, to her ear, to her neck, to her eyelid, and with every kiss, Ell started to laugh, until by the end she was practically dangling from his arms, her knees weak and face bright. Laughing himself, he paused, and the two of them gazed at each other, happiness overcoming melancholy.

"And this is my favorite part of you, too..."

The rain was heavy, and dark, and cold. The rain was relentless and despairing, and the rain could make anyone feel miserable. The rain fought to create misery and despair. It fought to douse the fires of people's' souls, and make them cold and dark, just like it.

But tonight, the rain lost.

Because tonight, the rain could not dampen the spirits of the two people laughing together in a little house on the edge of a big city, helplessly in love.

* * *

 **A/N I've been kinda sad lately. I don't like being sad. I especially don't like to see other people sad. I don't like telling people why I'm sad, either. And it's okay to be sad sometimes. It's okay to be afraid and insecure. But it's only okay up until a point; when it starts taking over who you are. It's okay to tell someone you're sad. A good cry is sometimes what you really need.**

 **I really debated on whether I should post this right now, if I should have waited to create some more detail in the characters before going into dark, angsty shtuffs. But then I thought,"... Meh, screw it." Sooooo, I did it XD**

 **Also, to the guest named "BOI" who left the lurvely review about my Undertale reference, that review made my day, it was hilarious. Yes, I know what Undertale is, I was quite obsessed with it for a while (Then EDDSWORLD HAPPENED). I have a couple Undertale stories on FFN as well for those of you who are interested in my stuff. BE WARNED: It contains a lot of SansxOlder!Frisk, as well as my UT AU thing Soultale... Which is still unfinished XD Someday, someday.**

 **I give a special thanks to those of you who favorited this story, those of you who left reviews and requests, and even those of you who read this far! You're the people who keep me strong in the face of trial XD Love you all**

 **Also, for those of you who are Hamiltrash (Hamilton fans), see if you can spot my very vague reference to the song "Dear Theodosia" (that's one of my fave songs btw)**

 **SEND ME A REQUEST OR PROMPT! THANKS 4 READING!**


	11. Dead in the Night

**Dead in the Night**

The battlefield was filled with the dust of a fallen building. Grenades and heavy artillery guns added their smoke to the mix. The thick haze hung low and filthy, hardly hiding the blurred and darkened shapes of bodies as they darted here and there, in and out of view, like a dark curtain shadows danced upon

What the smoke didn't hide, however, were the shouting, and the screaming, and the gunfire, and the sobbing. The heavy dust didn't hide the smell of hot blood and sweat, the smell of metal and oil, of fire and of death, gunfire and murder.

And Tori was in the thick of it all.

"Medic! _Medic_!" Paulina was shouting off to her right. There was a flash of her blue and red uniform, Pat close beside her, both of them on either side of one of the blonde sergeants, supporting him, a bloody wound in his chest. Tori caught the flash of his name tag - "Sgt. Casey" - before the three of them all disappeared once again into the dust and smoke.

A bullet seemed to fly in slow motion towards her, off from her right, and she gazed at it quizzically. How strange it was that something so simple, something so small, could cause the death of a man in an instant. How strange it was that it had been a simple british priest in a simple, benign, and innocent experiment that had created a weapon of such destruction. And then, how strange it was to think that death could be thrust upon a man at any instant, steal his breath away without any chance to save himself, and silence any chance of a future.

The bullet seemed to speed up, its course headed straight for Tori's chest. It was a small bullet. It would have little chance at penetrating the bulletproof vest she wore under her own blue uniform, under the rounds of munitions, under the loathing, under the air of command that led her corner of the Red Army.

But still, that was no guarantee.

She cocked her head to the side and stepped away. The bullet really was so slow. How was there any way she could have avoided it, and so easily? How could she have dodged a bullet, so to speak, with such little effort?

As she turned, another shape made its appearance out of the smoke, standing just behind her and in the bullet's path, tall and pale faced. As she watched, the bullet speed up, until it reached its true speed and buried itself in the chest of the tall shadow.

The haze cleared. A strangled cry tore from her throat, quieter by far than the gunfire, and she scrambled over the rubble, skidding and tumbling to a single, dying, ginger haired figure.

Matt's face was suddenly pale as he sank to his knees. There was something red soaking through the purple hoodie. She pressed the palm of her hand to the wound, but too late, Matt gasped, gave her a faint smile, and slowly, _so slowly_ , screwed his eyes shut. She was fruitlessly stemming the blood of a dying shell. There was a clattering by her feet, followed by a deafening explosion as a grenade detonated at her side.

" _No_!"

Tori yelped and shot bolt upright. The bedclothes slipped off her shoulders, and the thunder shook the windows. Rain pelted the glass and sides of the house. Her entire body shook violently. She couldn't move for several long seconds that felt like ages, paralyzed with fear.

It was so real! It felt so real. It was so, so real... She choked back a sob, wrapping her arms around her chest, grey eyes wide and seeing only bloodshed. The picture faded, and she looked towards the door. Panic gripped her chest as she gazed into the shadowy dark corner. _She had to know._

Without thought, save for the inexplicable panic, she crossed the floor, through the door, and into the hall. Her room was at the end of the little corridor, and she passed the quiet, closed doors of her friends before turning the corner into the kitchen.

For some months now, the mirror had hung on a wall near the electric kettle and the refrigerator. It was normal now to pass through the sickly warm and slimy barrier and into another world. She stood shivering and wide-eyed. She had to know. She had to be sure.

She knew which room she needed to get to, quit well in fact. In a furious panic, she disregarded the sign on the door - although she couldn't read it in the rainy darkness - and turned the handle.

Yes. He was lying there. She could see the sheets rise and fall noiselessly in a steady rhythm.

Or… Were they?

Were those just the shadows of the trees thrashing in the wind and rain, basking in the light of the flashes of lightning? She gave a small cry of fear and stumbled forward.

The mass of blankets stirred as she kneeled at the bedside. Matt opened bleary eyes, and jumped the moment he saw her less than a foot away from his face. "Holy-" he yelped, yanking the sheets up to his formidable chin. Surprise turned to indignation in an instant as he hissed, "Tori! What on Earth? It's one in the morning! What are you doing here? Why are you… Tori?"

His voice trailed off, concern written in every line of his face as he propped himself up on his elbows, lifting her chin to look into her suddenly darkened eyes. "Tori?" he asked again. "Tori, what's wrong?" The sob that escaped her couldn't be held back any longer.

She didn't usually cry.

She wasn't the type.

Such were the ways of war. Crying on the battlefield made you weak. Weakness got you killed. That was one of the reasons why Red General had been such a point of fascination and respect for her; almost an idol. He was so stone hard, so in control of himself. And then, he taught her to kill her emotions, to hide all feelings. All that mattered was the next mission.

And for a long time, that worked.

It worked for a long time, up until murdering her old friends was _part_ of the mission. That was the catalyst; the lighting of a fuse that led to a bomb that almost exploded in her face. And now those demons were coming back to haunt her. Not only had Matt died in that horrible nightmare, it had brought back the nightmares that were real life. All the innocent lives, just like him, that she had killed trying to save her own skin, by stepping aside and letting someone else take the bullet in her pursuit for power.

So no. She didn't cry. Not until now. Because right now, she was crumpling, receding, scared. Her shoulders curled as the tears came thick and fast, pouring like the rain outside, gasping and spluttering and choking on her own breath.

A warm hand touched her shoulder, making its way to the back of her neck. She looked up at Matt, not even attempting at hiding her face as he sat up completely to look at her. He motioned to the spot on the bed next to him, taking her hand and leading her up to him.

It was quiet for a long time afterwards, save for the roar and flash of thunder and lightning, and her own sobbing, which she realized a little later to be very gross.

There was a funny thing, she realized only later, that love did. Matt absolutely hated ugly things. He was, and always had been, obsessed with his own looks, and tended to judge by appearance. And yet, he didn't cringe when he looked at her face, twisted into an ugly grimace and stained with tears. He didn't push her and her blubbering, gross crying away with a noise of disgust. On the contrary, he pulled her closer to him until she sat in his lap, her legs wrapped around his waist, sobbing with her head on his shoulder and fingers clawing at his bare back.

And for a long while, they just sat like that, close together in a tangle of limbs, Tori crying almost silently into the curve of his neck, Matt running his fingers up and down her spine in a gentle attempt to calm her, until slowly - _so slowly_ , she stopped trembling. Her breath leveled until it returned to normal. Her eyes dried.

And then they continued to sit in that droning silence of the wind and rain, breathing in tandem and holding the other tightly. Matt asked no questions. Tori gave no answers. Both had met in the middle of an unspoken agreement. There really was no need to know why. That was a not so distant past that didn't matter just now.

The rain persisted into the day.

"What do you think happened?"

"Got scared, maybe? The thunder was pretty loud here, so it must have been over there too."

" _I_ am not afraid of thunder you idiot, why would _she_?"

"Well then, what's your idea, commie?"

Tom, Edd and Tord watched over the pile of bodies as they slept, curled together on the tiny bed. Edd smiled, ignoring Tom and Tord's hushed arguing. It was a sweet scene, albeit a little awkward. Tori's head lay on Matt's right arm, her face pressed against his chest. A few strands of her long, blonde hair were in his mouth, his left arm holding her close to him. The bedclothes were partially kicked off, revealing a tangle of legs. It wasn't a very pretty sight.

A shadow seemed to pass over Tord's face as he gazed at the two. "I think… Nightmares make some people do strange things," he said slowly, his eyes clouded and narrowed. Tom and Edd didn't question this statement. They figured Tord probably knew what he was talking about.

Their attention returned to Matt as he stirred. He let out a long, low sigh and blinked up at them. His voice was croaky when he spoke softly, brushing the hair out of his mouth. "Look here mates, I know you're all jealous of me and my looks, but seriously, go get your own girlfriend."

The three of them laughed and turned away to leave the bedroom, making Tori stir from sleep.

Morning was a good time to be alive.

* * *

 **A/N Hello everyone. Sorry for the gap in updates. I wasn't in a writing mood for a while, and then I started writing again XD I was drawing a lot, and spending a lot of time at my COunty Fair. I got to see itsAlexClark perform! It was pretty funny XD**

 **Anyway, nothing much to say here. Just another sappy love story kinda thing. Just lemme clear up some personality things; Matt (the character, not the real Matt!) is still super conceited. But when he and Tori finally got together, she was so dominant, she left him pretty speechless. So yeah. She's the strong, dominant, smol.**

 **This was a request from a Guest. Thank uuuuuuu XD Send me more requests my dudes, I enjoy them, otherwise they're going to be boring and/or sappy.**

 **Enjoy, I guess**

 ***edit* I LIED I DO HAVE STUFF TO SAY! Sgt. Casey is my Red Army persona (I have art), but you need to figure out whether they're really male or female XD and SOME OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE OTHER UNIVERSE ARE THE SAME GENDER. There is a reason for this. Most of the main characters have changed gender, but a few of them are the same in both worlds. See who I've said is the same in both already :D**

 **Okay bye my dudes, enjoy for real**


	12. Scratching Records

**Scratching Records**

Tom slammed the door behind him and threw the car keys across the entryway. They skipped once, then twice on the tiled floor, clattering to a stop only when they reached the opposite wall, lying meekly on the ground against the white kickboard.

Tom followed soon after. His back slid against the door until he sat, head on his arms and knees pulled to his chest. His hood was pulled over his head, his blank eyes seeing nothing but the new dents and scrapes on his car.

There were footsteps coming towards him.

"Hey. You too?" Tom looked up at Tamara. Her blue hoodie was tied around her waist, and her eyes were exhausted.

"Yeah," Tom said dejectedly, running his fingers through his hair and pushing his hood off.

"Great. Wanna get a drink at my place?"

"Kinda early, don't you think?"

Tamara shrugged. "I was thinking tea with some vodka. The girls just made some biscuits, too."

"Sounds good to me." Tom took a hold of Tamara's hand, and she pulled him to his feet. She turned and led the way through the mirror, feeling the familiar layer of warm alone before ending up in a kitchen almost exactly the same as Tom's.

"Mint?" she asked without preamble, making her way to the kettle.

"You got raspberry?"

"Only tea bags."

"That's fine." Tom settled at the granite counter and looked at his hands. He was too tired, too apathetic to be angry. Sure, people were dip wads, there was nothing he could do about it. Except get angry maybe, and after a sleepless night, that was out of the question.

Tamara set a steaming mug of tea in front of him a few minutes later, and poured in a shot of whatever she had in her flask. With a grunt of thanks, he lifted the mug, blew on the surface, and took a long, deep draught. The obvious fact that the actual tea was from a bag was hidden by the heat of the water and burn of the alcohol.

It was oddly soothing. But, then again, he was an alcoholic; it was in the job description.

"So," Tamara slumped into her chair off to the left of him, taking a drink herself and smacking her lips, "Anything you want to talk about?"

"Eh," Tom shrugged and swirled the liquid in his mug. "Not really. Tord's being... Well, _Tord_."

"So, existing, yeah?" The two laughed. "Same thing with Tori. She tried to leave her rubbish in the kitchen this morning; there were chords and earbuds freaking _everywhere_ , and-"

They sat there for a long time, chatting happily and munching on biscuits, forgetting the twin sets of gashes along the sides of identical cars spanning two worlds. Tamara eventually hid her flask away after they realized they had gone through three cups of tea and alcohol each, then switched to just tea. It was oddly bland without the added burn of their preferred substance, but not too bad. They continued until the water left in the kettle was cool and metallic, and the both of them were left tipping back the last dregs of cold tea.

"Movie?" Tom asked, his mug clinking in a hollow sort of way as he smiled at Tamara.

"You read my mind," she answered after swallowing her last gulp. "C'mon." She stood from her chair, leaving the mug covered in kittens on the table and began to walk into the back of the house. Tom followed, knowing she was headed for her room, where he also knew hid one of the most amazing movie collections ever; zombie movies, old westerns, american television, food shows, it was all there. Tamara paused by the bathroom door. "You go find something, I gotta go."

He nodded as she closed the door and continued his way to their previous destination.

And then, he stopped.

He stared quizzically at the second to last door on the left. The door in itself was rather unremarkable; painted white, with a silver handle that didn't match any of the others in the house. There was a little sign, covered in glitter and pink, with a couple of crossbones and skulls wearing bows, and it said "Keep Out". It was kind of like Matt's back home, when he thought about it. But still, that wasn't why he stared.

There was something coming from behind the door. Not light, not movement, but a sound. Quietly, he put his ear up to the wood, listening intently. Was that… _Singing_? A ukulele? Glancing once again at the sign and deciding to ignore it in not even a second, he turned the door handle.

" _-heart and you'll find love, love , love, love,_

 _Listen to the music of the moment, people dance and sing,_

 _We're just one big family-"_

Her voice was sweet, nothing like he had heard before. Her ginger head swayed from side to side as she strummed a small ukulele she had bought from who knows what store, her back to the door. There were purple earbuds trailing from her ears to a laptop, where the lyrics to the song were sitting. Her jackets were draped over the back of her chair, and he could see her freckled shoulders on either side of the straps of her grey vest.

He blinked. She was a ridiculously good singer. Of course he might have been a bit biased, but that was beside the point. He stepped silently into the room.

" _There's no need to complicate,_

 _Our time is short,_

 _This is our fate,_

 _I'm yours."_

She muttered the next few words under her breath, cursing her weak fingers and struggling to find a few chords on her instrument before returning to the next verse. Only someone interrupted her as she took a breath. A familiar someone that made her heart beat a ridiculous pace as she yelped with fright

" _I've been spending too much time checking my tongue in the mirror,_

 _And bending over backwards just to try and see clearer,_

 _But my breath fogged up the glass,_

 _So I drew a new face and I laughed."_

Tom was smiling, his empty eyes half-lidded as he leaned over her shoulder and staring. She laughed at his voice and his words, a little shakily with surprise, and please and a little taken-aback he knew the silly American song. She resumed her momentarily paused strumming.

" _I guess what I've been saying is there is no better reason,_

 _To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the season,_

 _It's what we aim to do,_

 _Our name is our virtue."_

Tamara stood, leaning against the doorway with her arms folded against her chest, smiling serenely at the two backs facing her; one in blue, the other framed by flaming red hair, and both singing in a broken and beautiful harmony. Tom wasn't the best singer in the world, and Matilda was far too quiet, but just now, that didn't matter.

It was a perfect duet.

" _No I won't hesitate no more, no more_

 _It cannot wait, I'm yours._

 _Open up your mind and see like me,_

 _Open up your plans and then you're free,_

 _Look into your heart and you'll find the sky is yours,_

 _So baby please don't, please don't, please don't,_

 _There's no need to complicate,_

 _Because our time is short,_

 _This, oh this, oh this is our fate,_

 _I'm yours, oh."_

* * *

 **A/N Heheh. I thought it was kinda cute. Hope you guys enjoy. This was a request from amelgam on my AO3; go check it out. It's basically the same thing with a different layout XD**

 **Anyway, thank you everyone for all the love you've shown this silly story. I hope you enjoy it, and please, leave a prompt or request!**

 **Love you all!**

 **~File 13**

 _ **"I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz**_


	13. White Girl Coffee, Do You Love Me?

**White Girl Coffee, Do You Love Me?**

"A hot chocolate with whipped cream and a pumpkin spice latte, please."

"Matt, I can pay for my own drink."

"I know. But I'll pay for it anyway."

"You are such a weirdo."

"I prefer "handsome stranger", but you're welcome anyway."

Tori rolled her eyes and smiled. Her teeth were nearly as white as the snow all around them. It had just stopped drifting from the sky a few minutes ago as they stood in the then ages-long queue. Tori had mentioned that she was a bit cold, and Matt had noticed the small Starbucks vendor, deciding the best way to warm up was with a hot drink.

He leaned down and adjusted the bright red scarf and woolly hat on her head. She whined in response and knocked his hands away. "You do not need to baby me, I can fix it for myself."

"I know. Wanted to do it anyway." He straightened up and grinned at the tiny norsk, who was fuming quietly as she accepted her hot chocolate. Matt took the latte.

"So, where you wanna go?" he asked, taking a sip. The latte was scalding against his frozen lips. Tori gazed at the grey sky in intense concentration, then grabbed Matt's hand and began walking.

They waded their way through a heavy snow poff and past a set of wrought iron gates, into a park covered in a heavy white blanket. Matt and Tori's snow boots sank several inches into the white powder with each step. Tori occasionally stumbled, leaning onto Matt's arm for support before pushing herself away.

There were a few groups of people milling about; taking photos of the brass monuments, gossiping, savouring their streaming beverages, selling small pendants on the side of the way.

"What are you doing?" Tori watched with a certain amount of disgust and confusion as Matt positively fell over in his haste to reach the ground.

"I'm gonna to hit that statue." He nodded excitedly to the tallest brass statue to their left, gathering a handful of snow. Tori squinted at the plaque on its pedestal.

"Its name is Henrik," she informed him in a matter-of-fact voice, happy to supply the tall ginger with that piece of useless information. "If you miss now, I'll laugh at you."

"So long as I even _hit_ it I'll be happy." Matt brushed off the last bit of imperfect snow from his snowball, and offered it to Tori. She rolled her eyes and blew across the top of it, making Matt grin before taking careful aim.

It looked as though it would miss, but it didn't. " _Yes_! Oh, yes!" Matt bounced on the balls of his feet and threw his arms into the air in victory. He had knocked the snow off Henrik's chin. "Oh, could you _feel_ the motivation?" He shook Tori lightly by her shoulders, and she couldn't hold back a laugh at the silly ginger's excitement.

"That was pure luck," she chuckled.

"Or, maybe I'm just _so_ talented."

They continued on in a friendly silence, leaving the park and sipping their drinks, passing a row of frosted store windows as they made their way along the cold and grey concrete walkway. They looked at the furry coats, laughing at some of the ridiculous mannequin poses, criticizing the impossible proportions. They would have bumped shoulders every now and again, but Tori was far too small, and settled on hip-checking the much taller ginger, making him stumble, once making him spill a little of his drink; she called it his "white girl coffee".

There was a reason they were here in this snowy city, why Tori looked down into her steaming cup every now and then with a clouded expression. She had been called in for a meeting with some high-ranking leader in the RAF, who was based way out here in some sleet and snow-bound country far up north, to discuss some very secret things abound the Red Army. She was originally going to go alone. But when Tord mentioned he was going to do the same thing in their own world, Matt felt obliged to tag along with Tori, and to keep her company. Now that meeting was over after several long hours, and they were whiling away their time until their midnight flight back to London, and then back home.

What better way to waste time than to have an unofficial date wandering around the nearest town?

"Look at all those dogs!" Tori pointed, laughing at a young man who couldn't be much younger than them. He was wearing a grey trapper hat and a fur coat, and his light eyes were wide with concentration. He was struggling so hard due to the dozen or so dogs he had bounding around him, several leashes in both hands leading to the excited beasts. He was pulled this way and that, attempting to drag all the hounds to a building with a picture of a sitting dog on the window. He eventually made his way in, the last dogs following him inside, barking madly, and the door closed. Tori and Matt breathed once again, having been choking on their laughter.

"That was the most beautiful thing I have seen all day," Tori said at last, tossing her hair long blonde hair over her shoulder.

"I have to disagree with that," Matt answered, offering the tiny norsk his arm, which she threaded her own through with a relaxed smile, still gazing dazedly at the door the dog boy had disappeared into.

"Why's that?" she asked vaguely, hardly thinking.

"Because _that_ is the most beautiful thing I've seen all day."

At first she thought he was talking about his little mirror, which he had whipped out and was holding in front of them. Then she thought he was talking about his reflection, which he often did, but that didn't make any sense. It was her reflection in the mirror…

Oh.

She looked away and squeezed his arm. He laughed and pocketed the mirror again shrugging against his jacket. "Smooth, wasn't tha-"

He never finished that sentence, because the breath was suddenly caught in his throat. One moment, he was towering above Tori, the next, he had run the toe of his boot into an uneven piece of pavement and started tumbling the the ground. And now, Tori was holding him in a weird sort of dip, her fingers clutching at his arms and looking shocked.

"Hey, when is the wedding?" called some passerby with a heavy accent, laughing with her friends as they made their way past. Tori dropped Matt onto the ground at the comment, and he fell with a yelp into the snow. She looked ready to fight the still-laughing girls, but ultimately decided against it, turning back to Matt and offering him her hand.

"Come on," she said, leaning over him and motioning for him to take ahold of her hand. He didn't, instead gazing dreamily up at her. "Take my hand."

"Did I ever tell you you have the prettiest eyes?" he asked with a little smirk. Her face went redder than it was before with the cold and embarrassment, and she straightened up. "No, no no don't go away, please help me up, please please pretty please?"

She relented, and allowed him back up, returning to their original positions. "If anything, that was a pretty smooth move though," Matt said quietly, smiling. They said nothing afterward, only giving off puffs of smoky breath and walking slowly down the road, arm in arm. It had started to snow again, the little white flakes drifting lazily down from the storm-grey sky.

Several hours later, they sat together on a small bench in the half-darkness of snowy dusk, waiting for the coach that would take them to the airport. Tori was fiddling absently with a loose thread on her scarf, but Matt was sitting still, his shoulders hunched and his eyes staring blankly into the snow.

"Tori?"

"Yes?"

"Tori… Do you love me?"

"Now, what kind of question is that?"

" _Do_ you?"

Tori sighed and reached over to the ginger, turning his head to face her. Her eyes were remarkably soft, shining quietly in the light of the hidden and setting sun. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips, a gentle thing like a word of comfort or solace. She pulled away and looked at Matt's face again, trying not to smile. Or maybe she was trying not to cry. "Did that answer your question?"

Matt grinned himself, covering her tiny hand with his own. "I don't think I heard you quite right. Do you think you could run that by me again?"

Tori laughed, but didn't deny him.

She could still taste the spice of a long gone drink on his lips.

* * *

 **A/N This was a request from murakami-kumiko. Sorry it's not them falling for the first time; hope you'll settle for this!**

 **Send me a request plz and comment, you guys make me so happy I love your reaction. Fun Fact: I drew this before I wrote it! Maybe I'll add it to my AO3 (go check it out! plz).**

 **Enjoy and always love yourself people :D**

 **~File 13**


	14. Theory of Relativity

_**Theory of Relativity**_

Beauty was relative.

To some, beauty was a grassy hill at dusk, overlooking the distant bustling mass of machinery and people that represented Life. To some, beauty was the clockwork mechanics of the mind and heart, the turning of infinite human memory, the simulation of those things in robotics, or the cold sound of dishonest gold. To some, beauty was impossible, taken from the cold and slime ridden corners of alleyways by the rich and the privileged, taken from the poor and less fortunate without seeking any sort of permission.

To him, though, beauty had been this faraway idea, unobtainable to him though so his friend around him seemed to be able to reach it. It was just who he was, and he had come to terms with it many years previous, choosing instead to surround himself with the things he knew best:

Music boxes.

There was a simplicity about them that enchanted him, enraptured his imagination and sent him to a sweet world of clockwork mechanics and grease. And yet, they were so complex in their own right, in the timing, and in the miniature figures that danced inside, telling tales of magic and dragons, of love and evil.

And there he was happy.

He was happy among the scrap heaps and the forges, nestled between the chemist and the robot maker, looking through bins in search of old gears and screws, quietly making his way with a new load of treasures, creating the worlds in his mind with his hands through the tiny moving figures that danced across a tiny brass plane under a tiny glass dome, telling the stories he simply couldn't.

He sold these creations, these clockwork miracles under glass. He sold them to the rich and the poor, the scholars and the students, the politicians and the migrants. At their looks of amazed wonderment, he would smile to himself, a warm feeling flooding his heart as he watched the politician's stone hard expression melt into amusement, the children's faces split into wide grins more often than not missing a few teeth.

But mostly, he kept to himself. He gave a few words of thanks as the good changed hands, and fell silent, pushing forward with his small, rickety cart filed with magic. He would not press himself on others.

But she pressed herself on his mind.

A normal morning, it began. He woke, he ate, he smiled, he walked. He was just one among all the people on the streets, another nameless face that would only revisit a man in his dreams, pushing his cart along until he came to an empty spot among the roadside, facing the hustle and bustle of horse buggies and people and machines. A few children, a young couple, and an old cyborg were the only ones who bought a music box from him. The sun was hot, and he sank into the shadow of his cart, his legs stretched out in front of him beyond the reach of the shade, holding a piece of gold and contemplating whether or not he should use it to buy a meal and water.

A shadow crossed his legs.

"Is this your stand?" He looked up to see a young woman. She wore no day dress and hat like most normal women, but trousers and heeled boots, and a billowy linen tunic. A pair of brad Hughes hung from her neck. But it wasn't so much her dress that surprised him as her appearance. She held herself high, but not so high as the noble ladies in buggies, there was an undeniable whiff of cynical intelligence in her expression.

And her eyes... They were empty. Black. Like oil, or the night sky, or an empty, yawning void.

"Is this your stand?" the young woman reiterated.

"Er, yes." He stood and slid the gold back into his pocket, brushing off his own trousers. He was much taller than her. "Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

"No, I was just wondering. Did you build all of these?"

"Yes."

"They're all so beautiful." He smiled at her as she picked up one of the music boxes. "I've never seen any music box like this. How does it work?"

He took the small clockwork masterpiece from her hands. "Same as a normal music box. There's a key that you wind underneath."

He handed it back to the young woman, who did as he said, turning the key to the right so that it clicked. The little brass figures began to move about, turning in their predetermined dances.

"Guennivere," said the woman in surprise as she watched the music box's story unfold. "And Lancelot!"

"Is that the one that tells that?"

"That's what it looks like."

They stood in silence for a few moments broken only by the bustle of the street behind them and the tiny musical instrument inside its box.

"Excuse me miss, but I don't think I ever caught your name."

"I didn't throw it." The blank eyes flicked upwards into his, narrowing suspiciously. His own eyes widened.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be rude, it's just..."

"It's no problem," shrugged the woman, holding out a hand and setting the box down. "I'm sorry. My name's Tamara."

"Edd."

They clasped hands briefly and let go.

"Well then, Miss Tamara, I hope you don't mind my forwardness, but do you fancy grabbing a bite to eat with me?" he said, taking his gold coin out and flipping it in the air and catching it again. "I was just planning on getting something."

Tamara shrugged. "I don't see why not, so long as you're paying."

"Lunch with a stranger," Edd laughed, dropping the coin back into his pocket. "Living on the wild side."

"Honestly," Tamara snorted. "I must be drunker than I thought." Edd offered her his arm, in the courteous, proper fashion of the time, and she took it before they began making their way down the street.

Several hours later, after many conversations, after a plate of small sandwiches and water, after the screwdrivers and the garbage bins and the hammers and forceps, Edd was already starting to change.

His definition was changing.

And it continued to change, for days after that first meeting, alongside the constant visits, the practical jokes, the lessons and the debates.

Beauty wasn't the tick tick of a clock anymore. Mystery wasn't the inner workings under a sheet of metal for a music box.

Beauty was the tiny brown hairs glowing gold in the sunlight as they feel loose from her ponytail. Mystery was trying to see the thoughts behind her blank, empty eyes, turning like an infinite wheel.

His mother always told him he'd know beauty when he met her. And the phrase always confused him. But now he was older. And now he understood, discovered, what his beauty was.

 **A/N** **Wow wot an awkward chapter. It's so sad looking. But I hadn't been writing for a long... Long time. And I felt like writing something very figurative and full of descriptive language. But it's been on my AO3 for a long while now (I update more on there than here now because I can add external links). But hey, I did a thing. And I updated. So I hope you enjoy, I guess. Please leave a request, and realize that it doesn't just have to be the normal EW world, it can be an AU too! (this is steampunk influenced, in case you didn't know).**

 **Go watch and sub to my YouTube channel, guys! File 13. I do... Animations, rn. But I will be doing speed draws and animated storytelling sometime, I guess. Lots of fun :)**

 **Also go check out my Tumblr, also File 13. I've got art work for the chapters here, and I'm going to be starting and Ask Blog real soon**

 **Currently listening to:  
All-American Girl - Carrie Underwood**

 **Have fun, comment, and wear your seatbelt :)**


	15. Tori Won't Say She's in Love

WARNING:

You're going to have to work for this chapter. Remove the #s.

 _Here you go. The video is literally the entire chapter. That's... That's it. Enjoy, and join me in my personal hell. :)_  
 _... Hello Hellhole (help me please)_

https# .com#/watch?v=F-oelFPyDeA&feature=#

* * *

 **A/N HAHAHAHAH I've created a monster, help me please.**

 **To the lovely jubbly bro who left the fabulous comment about Hamilton, I am here to answer your question: Matilda is Eliza, Tom is Hamilton, (Tom could also be Angelica and one of the other girls is Hamilton, but that's another chapter ;D), and therefore Phillip is...**

 **LITTLE TOM XD**

 **I LOVE YOU ALL, PLEASE LEAVE A REQUEST! ENJOY!**

 **Currently Listening to:**  
 **Kids Again - Artist Vs Poet (https:# .com#/watch?v=33Uh#8G37hqM)**

 **My Tumblr: https:#/file13thetrashcan#. / (I have art. I'm working on it, it's very bare rn)**  
 **My YouTube: (go to the link, weirdo)**


End file.
